56 EXPERIMENTS WITH PLANTS 



the long axis horizontal but standing on edge or lying 

 flat as shown in the figure. Remove the covers from 

 some of the seeds before planting; does the "peg" 

 form just the same! 



What seed has the hardest cover? You will prob- 

 ably agree that it is the Cocoanut. How does the 

 plant get out of it ? Where do you find the germ ? 

 It is very small (about a third of an inch long) and 

 lies under the softest of the three "eyes." Notice 

 how thin and soft the substance of this "eye" is, 

 and you can readily see that it offers the plant an 

 easy way of escape. Originally there was a germ 

 under each eye, but in the struggle for space and 

 nourishment two of these germs have perished, leav- 

 ing the survivor with a great abundance of food 

 (occasionally two of the germs survive). Almost any 

 wholesale fruit -dealer can procure for you Cocoanuts 

 which have germinated during the sea voyage. These 

 are usually thrown away as worthless when the cargo 

 is unloaded. Or you can germinate them for your- 

 self by keeping them in a hotbed or in a box covered 

 with glass in the summer-time. Plenty of moisture 

 and warmth are needed for success. They should be 

 buried in earth or sawdust and kept where they will 

 get as much heat as possible. Fig. 45 shows the 

 appearance of a germinating Cocoanut, with the outer 

 husk still in position. This husk is fibrous and has 

 a tough outer shell, through which the roots seem to 



